Coal scam: CBI appeals to Apex Court against HC order
28 March 2015 3:49 AM IST
Senior public prosecutor VK Sharma said a Special Leave Petition (SLP) has been filed in the Supreme Court on March 12, against the HC’s September 5, 2014, order which is likely to come up for hearing next month.
“VK Sharma submits that a SLP has been filed in the Supreme Court in the present matter. Put up for further hearing on May 12,” Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar said.
CBI had earlier told the court that it was awaiting the nod of the Law Ministry to file an appeal in the case.
The high court had quashed charges of cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy framed by the trial court against PIL and its Director (Corporate Affairs) A K Chaturvedi.
The other two accused in the case — Goutam Kumar Basak and Soumen Chatterjee — have sought alteration of charges framed against them earlier in view of the high court order. The plea is pending before the special court.
Executive Secretary Basak and Manager (F&A) Chatterjee of Steel Ministry’s Joint Plant Committee had told the court that it should alter the charges framed against them as the high court had quashed charges against PIL and Chaturvedi.
Basak and Chatterjee were earlier put on trial on charges of cheating, forgery and other offences under IPC and under provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act for allegedly giving a misleading report regarding PIL’s production capacity.
The Joint Plant Committee was set up in 1964 by the government to formulate guidelines for production, allocation and pricing of iron and steel and is the only institution which is officially empowered by the Steel Ministry to collect data on iron and steel industry.
According to CBI, on the basis of alleged inflated production figures and “bogus reports” submitted by PIL, Basak and Chatterjee, the screening committee allotted captive coal block at Urtan in Madhya Pradesh and Vijay Central in Chhattisgarh to PIL. .
In its charge sheet, CBI had told the court that on an application by PIL in January 1998, Chotia coal mining block at Chhattisgarh too was allotted to it.
The CBI alleged that PIL had again applied for allotment of mining block on April 12, 2007 for its steel plant at Champa in Chhattisgarh to expand its capacity, and to justify its claim, it filed false copies of central excise returns showing inflated production figures from December 2007 to March 2008.
“VK Sharma submits that a SLP has been filed in the Supreme Court in the present matter. Put up for further hearing on May 12,” Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar said.
CBI had earlier told the court that it was awaiting the nod of the Law Ministry to file an appeal in the case.
The high court had quashed charges of cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy framed by the trial court against PIL and its Director (Corporate Affairs) A K Chaturvedi.
The other two accused in the case — Goutam Kumar Basak and Soumen Chatterjee — have sought alteration of charges framed against them earlier in view of the high court order. The plea is pending before the special court.
Executive Secretary Basak and Manager (F&A) Chatterjee of Steel Ministry’s Joint Plant Committee had told the court that it should alter the charges framed against them as the high court had quashed charges against PIL and Chaturvedi.
Basak and Chatterjee were earlier put on trial on charges of cheating, forgery and other offences under IPC and under provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act for allegedly giving a misleading report regarding PIL’s production capacity.
The Joint Plant Committee was set up in 1964 by the government to formulate guidelines for production, allocation and pricing of iron and steel and is the only institution which is officially empowered by the Steel Ministry to collect data on iron and steel industry.
According to CBI, on the basis of alleged inflated production figures and “bogus reports” submitted by PIL, Basak and Chatterjee, the screening committee allotted captive coal block at Urtan in Madhya Pradesh and Vijay Central in Chhattisgarh to PIL. .
In its charge sheet, CBI had told the court that on an application by PIL in January 1998, Chotia coal mining block at Chhattisgarh too was allotted to it.
The CBI alleged that PIL had again applied for allotment of mining block on April 12, 2007 for its steel plant at Champa in Chhattisgarh to expand its capacity, and to justify its claim, it filed false copies of central excise returns showing inflated production figures from December 2007 to March 2008.
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